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Mourad Topalian (also Murad Topalian, Mourad "Moose" Topalian; Template:Lang-hy) is a prominent Armenian-American political activist, former chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), and a suspected leader of the Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide – a militant wing of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF). He was convicted in 2001 of US federal crimes relating to terrorism and received a prison sentence of 37 months, the maximum allowed under sentencing guidelines.
Criminal charges: US vs. Mourad Topalian
The investigation against Topalian began with the 1996 discovery of weapons and explosives in a suburban Bedford, Ohio storage garage. The storage unit was opened after rent went unpaid for six months (Topalian had been renting that space since 1980). Inside, police found guns and 100 pound of decaying explosives in the storage facility.
Topalian, 57 at the time, was initially charged with conspiracy, concealing and storing stolen explosives, improper storage of explosives (dangerously near a daycare center, a school and gas station), possession of machine guns and possession of firearms with defaced serial numbers. US authorities also accused him of participating in a crusade of terrorism to focus public attention on the massacre of Armenians committed by the Ottoman Empire in 1915. In the 1970s, a wave of terror fell upon Turkish officials, engineered by Armenian extremists furious over Turkish denials of the “genocide”. The attacks included 160 bombings and assassinations of 22 Turkish diplomats worldwide. The terror ebbed by the mid-1980s, but many attacks went unsolved.
Topalian was accused of plotting attacks against Turkish targets in the United States for two decades, and was suspected of links to two 1981 bombings in California, against the Orange County Convention Center in Anaheim and the Turkish consulate in Beverly Hills.
According to the indictment, Topalian recruited bombers and assassins from Armenian American youth, and provided weapons demonstrations at Armenian Youth Federation summer camps in Franklin, Massachusetts. According to federal authorities in Ohio, a prominent Armenian-American once used the camp as a training ground for terrorism aimed at the Turkish government. Mourad "Moose" Topalian showed others how to use submachine guns and built and exploded booby traps - one went off prematurely, injuring a person - in 1976 and 1977. He also sent Armenian youth to Beirut to train in weapons and explosive tactics.
Topalian was questioned about the New York bombing and denied he was a terrorist but agreed to plead guilty to storing the weapons, which were used in the Turkish Mission bombing.
Topalian also was accused of ordering a California man to bring five sticks of dynamite and blasting caps to Boston in 1982 that were to be used in a bombing in Philadelphia. FBI agents intercepted the explosives and said the suspect, Steven John Dadian, may have had ties to the Justice Commandos.
Overall, the indictment alleged that Topalian was "a part of the conspiracy that the defendant and others both known and unknown formed an 'elite group' of individuals in order to bring publicity and attention to the Armenian genocide of 1915, commonly referred to as 'the Cause,' " prosecutors said in court papers.
Between 1976 and 1996, Topalian allegedly ordered or was involved directly in bombings in New York and Anaheim and Beverly Hills, Calif., the robbery of munitions factories, and the illegal purchase of numerous high-powered weapons.
Key evidence against Topalian, came from two of his former allies.
When the federal charges were filed, Topalian resigned from his post at the ANCA, an organization with an office in Washington that serves as an advocate on Armenian issues.
Awards
In 2000, ANCA presented Mourad Topalian with the "Freedom Award" for his "dedication to advancing the Armenian cause,” and his "unique brand of leadership in driving forward and promoting Armenian history and the cause of the Armenian nation."
References
- GOTTI EX MARRIES TERROR PRINCESS. NY Post
- FBI Publication: Terrorism 2000/2001
- Cold Case Homicides by Richard H. Walton
- Encyclopedia of terrorism by Harvey W. Kushner
- FBI Publication: Terrorism 2000/2001
- Encyclopedia of terrorism by Harvey W. Kushner
- Encyclopedia of terrorism by Harvey W. Kushner
- Following Terror's Forgotten Trail US News
- US ACCUSES PRO-ARMENIA GROUP'S CHIEF OF BOMB PLOT. Associated Press. Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Ill.: Oct 16, 1999. pg. 13
- Following Terror's Forgotten Trail US News
- US ACCUSES PRO-ARMENIA GROUP'S CHIEF OF BOMB PLOT. Associated Press. Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Ill.: Oct 16, 1999. pg. 13
- The Boston Globe. Armenian-American site in Franklin named Camp was allegedly used for terrorist training, by John Ellement. October 16, 1999
- US ACCUSES PRO-ARMENIA GROUP'S CHIEF OF BOMB PLOT. Associated Press. Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Ill.: Oct 16, 1999. pg. 13
- The Filthiest 48 Hours. LA Weekly
- The Boston Globe. Armenian-American site in Franklin named Camp was allegedly used for terrorist training, by John Ellement. October 16, 1999
- The Boston Globe. Armenian-American site in Franklin named Camp was allegedly used for terrorist training, by John Ellement. October 16, 1999
- The Boston Globe. Armenian-American site in Franklin named Camp was allegedly used for terrorist training, by John Ellement. October 16, 1999
- The Boston Globe. Armenian-American site in Franklin named Camp was allegedly used for terrorist training, by John Ellement. October 16, 1999
- The Filthiest 48 Hours. LA Weekly
- The Filthiest 48 Hours. LA Weekly